Comments on: Rangeview (CO) library system 1st system to abandon Dewey

By: Susan Smith

Susan Smith — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:46:20 +0000

The Southlake Public Library in Texas was also doing this. And I vaguely remember visiting library in the suburbs of Minneapolis about 10 years ago that still had dewey but also had categories, which i thought was interesting and confusing at the same time.

By: Lesley

Lesley — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:45:56 +0000

I wish they would publish or give a link to their list of categories & subcategories… I’m not against it per se, but wonder about it’s expandability (a nice feature in Dewey) — don’t want to have to reclassify everything just because something changes in the world…

By: LibraryLass

LibraryLass — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:39:10 +0000

As far as I can see non-fiction goes, e.g. Art then drawing then alphabeticallly by title. mm, bad example on their own website, since I’d have thought you’d want the author’s name fairly often and the title far less often in art books.

By: Iain Stuart

Iain Stuart — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:40:15 +0000

I am finding all this is classic dumbing down, supposedly we live (or at least till the GFC hit)in an information economy but why are we throwing out ways of finding information? I am no fan of Dewey as minority interests, such as archaeology, seem to get very odd Dewey numbers but having played around with various systems of classification (mainly tagging)so I can find a particular PDF or some of my research notes and I am convinced you need a systematic way of organising things otherwise information will be lost.

Which has brought me back to librarians who have dealt with this problem and as others have said why “improve” something that isn’t really all that broken”

By: Adam M. Goldstein

Adam M. Goldstein — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:27:04 +0000

In one of the Barnes and Noble stores I sometimes go to, Biography and Autobiography are in one category, I think just called “Autobiography.”

By: Eoin

Eoin — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:14:28 +0000

I loathe the use of the term ‘customers’ in relation to public libraries, it implies a commercial relationship which runs completely contrary to the ethos of public librarianship. Is the more neutral term ‘patron’ not preferable ? In the UK & Ireland you will also hear the terms ‘readers’ or ‘borrowers’ employed, which while slightly inaccurate (not all library users are there to read or borrow) have a certain charm to them.

By: Brian Herzog

Brian Herzog — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:27:08 +0000

“…I have the same old twitch when I see libraries referring to patrons as customers.”

I almost wrote my MLIS thesis on this very topic – I cringe every time I hear a librarian say “customers.” Nice to hear someone else shares this.

By: Michael Golrick

Michael Golrick — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:19:05 +0000

Rick is right, when I started reading the poem, I thought, clearly the author has “Dewey confusion” although Melvil was a reputed “womanizer.” Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvil_Dewey] says “his role in the ALA was curtailed by his overly familiar attention to women.”

On the other hand, I also agree with Shannan, and have said so elsewhere.

Thanks for the poem Jessamyn.

By: Shannan

Shannan — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:52:47 +0000

I absolutley hate thinking of library patrons as “customers” and have debated this point with workshop runners for years. I don’t think libraries should think of themselves as in competition with bookstores. We aren’t bookstores and trying to act like we are ignores the unique services we offer.grrr! /rant

Anyway, very interesting moving away from Dewey… Part of me is intrigued, but a bigger part of me is thinking “if it ain’t broke…”. Sure Dewey isn’t perfect, but it works and is easy enough to understand the basics for public library patrons. Perhaps this opinion though just confirms the stereotype of the “uptight librarians forced into uncomfortable situations by open minded knowledge workers!”

*adjusts my glasses on a chain, straightens my bun, smooths my mid-calf length skirt and walks away huffily in my sensible shoes* ;D

By: Rick Roche

Rick Roche — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:09:49 +0000

Funny poem. I’m sure Ashbery knew the difference between George and Melvil Dewey, but I wonder if his readers did? If poetry were more widely read, we’d have another library myth.

By: ash966

ash966 — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:09:05 +0000

Since my library started Questionpoint IM reference and I now have to navigate many other libraries’ catalogues, I think that improving catalogs and web pages is a higher priority (good signage is good too). My pet peeve is when the library web site is subordinated to whatever government entity it is part of and every page has links to government agency’s departments at the top so you can’t tell you are on the library’s site at all. I know it’s probably not the library;s fault and it’s mandated by the government entity, but still. . .